Project Reunion
by Vanus Empty
Summary: Beaten, battered, and bloodied, Cloud and Zack drag themselves to Midgar. AU!FFVII Novelization.
1. Last Step

Well, this was inspired by _Crisis Core_ and my love of a 'true hero' who should have never died. First, I would like to note that, because this is AU, many things will be different such as: Zack, obviously, has never died and because of that, Cloud never had his "Zack Persona." I'm not going to ignore Zack in FFVII missions/events, nor am I going to have him do everything. Everything'll be nice and divided! I would also like to remind people that I have two currently active stories, so, please do not complain about lack of updates.

I will not update unless I want to. I will not update out of obligation. The first chapter, this, is gonna be kinda choppy because I'm practically pulling things out of a hat to explain how Zack doesn't die... and I threw in some medical terms to make it seem legit. After this, everything should run more smoothly.

Review, review, review! I wanna know how people'll take this! (PS: There will be unmarked spoilers for Crisis Core.)

**Disclaimer:** Really, it is obvious I own nothing. Square-Enix/Soft owns everything. Except this written text/plot.

_"_**Boy, oh boy. The price of freedom is really steep.**_"_  
Zack Fair, _Crisis Core_.

- - - - -

The sky had been darkening for the better part of the entire day. Grey, heavy looking clouds hung on the horizon and rain seemed likely. The wind rose, sweeping warm, moist air onto the battlefield. Thunder crashed and lightning flickered across the sky. Then, at long last, the first few rain drops fell, mingling with the blood on the soldier's face.

Zack Fair winced as a rain drop struck his wounds. Sprawled out on the hard dirt of the cliff top with more than his fair share of bullet wounds in his chest and legs, he began to bleed to death. The sky finally opened, releasing several large drops a millisecond. He grunted in pain and gripped the hilt of the Buster Sword tightly in his hand. He heard shuffling and dragging and for a brief, terror filled moment, he was sure a soldier had stayed behind and was dragging the corpse of his friend to him. His fears faded when he saw the blond head of a very alive Cloud Strife.

Cloud seemed to have woken up from his coma-like state—barely. His eyes were still unfocused as he crawled on his hands and knees towards Zack. He knelt beside him, staring down at him uncomprehendingly.

"You're okay," Zack whispered, teeth clenched in pain. "That's good. I'm glad." The only response from Cloud was a slight inclination of the head. He forced a smile even as he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Zack..." Realization began to break through the haze of the mako poisoning as he said the name. Cloud began to focus on Zack's face.

Giving a short, mirthless laugh, Zack shut his eyes tightly for a brief moment. "My part... until now," he said, hissing as his ribs brushed against a bullet still lodged in his chest.

Cloud blinked and tried to push the fog away from his mind. "Your part?" He repeated.

He smiled. "That's right." _Good_, he thought. Cloud would be okay. He was waking up. "You are..." The black haired SOLDIER stopped, the pain wracking his body. He drew in several short, quick breaths to force the panic to pass.

"You are...?" Cloud's face screwed up slightly. This man, Zack, was important and something was happening. What, though?!

Slowly, Zack reached up and placed his hand on the back of Cloud's neck. He forced the blond to bend over in a final embrace. "Live," he commanded. "You are the evidence that I lived," he explained. As Cloud pulled back, his blood on his cheek, Zack pulled the Buster Sword over and handed the sword to Cloud by the hilt. "My pride and my dreams..." He smiled. "I'm giving them to you." His eyes closed.

"The evidence that you..." Cloud's eyes widened, "lived." The evidence that you _**lived**_! No! The haze was gone and forgotten as was the Buster Sword as he gasped and leaned over Zack. "No," he gasped. "No, no, Zack!" He cried and shook the fallen SOLDIER. No response. Almost fearfully, he pulled his glove off and pressed the index and middle fingers against Zack's neck, checking his main artery for a pulse. Weak, fading, but there. Good, but, he had no time to waste.

Tearing Zack's jacket and shirt off, he stared wide eyed at the massive damaged. It looked like at least twenty bullets penetrated Zack's chest and torso. Cloud felt his mouth grow dry, but, he ignored it and practically dove into Zack's pant pockets for restore materia or some x-potions. He fished around for several painful moments before his bare fingers came in contact with a small rock. Cloud uttered a quick, thankful prayer to whomever would listen and pulled it out, examining it. _Shit_, he thought. _Zack grabbed a new born materia. The thing barely has level one!_

Cloud inhaled, focused, and aimed directly at the bullet wounds. He casted the spell and watched as the blood flow slowed. Okay, so, the bullets were still in, but, they can't cause any more damage unless one managed to get into the arteries which, hopefully, wouldn't happen. Cloud was extremely thankful for the medical training he received in Shinra's Soldier program—one of the things he actually passed with flying colours!

He casted another spell and the blood flow stopped entirely. The blond flinched as his energy was sapped, but pushed it away and casted another one. The wounds began to slowly close. "Okay," he said to himself, casting a final spell before shoving the materia into his pants pocket. Reaching over, he grabbed Zack's bag of items and searched through it for a High-Potion or an ether. Luckily, he found both, though, the ether was only half full. "Cheapskate," he mumbled to Zack before downing the liquid and unscrewed the potion. He threw the cap to the side and carefully opened Zack's mouth, upturning the bottle and spilling the liquid in.

Zack's throat automatically tried to force it out of him before he drowned, but, with Cloud's coaxing, eventually swallowed it. The Potion went to work immediately as the body absorbed it, swimming through Zack's veins and healing some of the internal wounds as it made its way to Zack's heart. The potion wrapped itself around the organ, relieving the stress and helped it produce more blood than it normally would. After several long, almost agonizing minutes, Zack's colour darkened.

Cloud gave a sharp sigh of relief. Despite the fact that he stabilized him, Zack was still in critical condition. He turned his gaze towards the edge of the cliff and beyond. Through the haze of the down pour, Midgar loomed on the horizon only about a mile and a half away. He winced outwardly. Great. Zack was gonna die if he didn't get him to a proper doctor soon and he was still weakened from both the mako poisoning and the multi-casting.

He turned to Zack and pulled the materia out. He casted a quick cure to help the blood producing process out and dropped it back into his pocket. Cloud stood, wincing as the blood rushed to his feet and bent down, grabbing Zack by the arm and hoisting him up. Startled by the weight and his weakness, Cloud swore profusely as for a split second he was sure he was going to fall over onto Zack. He fear was unneeded as he remained upright, wrapping Zack's around around his shoulders securely with one of his gripping the arm and another wrapped around Zack's waist.

A pause. He shifted his gaze to the sword he had forgotten. No, he couldn't just leave it. Zack had told him it was a gift from someone important and, thus, it was important enough to take with. Cloud shifted Zack's weight and carefully bent down, grabbing the sword by the hilt and fitted it into the harness behind his back. All Soldier uniforms had a harness for weapons and, thankfully, his was no exception.

He took a couple seconds to get used to the weight before he nodded faintly and turned around, practically dragging the soldier and himself across the cliff top. Cloud paused for a second as he passed the large bolder that had kept him hidden from view, blue eyes widening. _Holy_... The bodies of at least a hundred soldiers lay sprawled out on the hard dirt, some slashed with a sword, other probably caught in the cross fire. Some lay on their fallen comrades, others out in the open or propped up against the rocks as they bled to death. The falling rain caused the blood and dirt to mingle in a giant puddle of death and earth.

Cloud frowned as he felt himself give some sort of pity for them. No, if they hadn't come after Zack and himself, they would have never had died. In this sort of situation, it's fight or fall. Them or you. Zack chose to go down fighting. He chose to die—

But, Zack wasn't dead. Not if Cloud had anything to say about it.

Swallowing hard, Cloud walked right on by the corpses.

- - - - -

He had been walking for an hour. It must have been and he had covered 3/4th the distance. The cliff top and the blood and the bodies and the fear had faded from his mind as he approached the massive city. Cloud Strife's boots had taken quite a bit of damage from the sharp rocks across the wasteland as did his pant legs, but, that was it. He, however, felt the strain of his own weakness and the added weight of Zack and the Buster Sword. Sooner or later, he'd have to take a break and Zack couldn't afford it.

Every now and then, Cloud allowed himself to spare a glance for the land. It was completely barren save for the few almost dead shrubs that refused to die from the mako pollution in the air and ground. He found himself, amusingly, hoping that Zack was like that shrub. Dying, but, still holding on. _God, please, Zack, _Cloud found himself praying, _please don't die_.

After at least an hour and a half, Cloud found himself mercifully at the entrance of Sector Seven's slum. Thankfully, the gate was open halfway and he only had to kick it to open it completely, pushing it aside with his shoulder when it bounced against the wall and came back. He stepped into the outskirt of the slums and looked up. The massive plate above him loomed ominously and he coughed from the sudden smog from the city. Cloud shook his head, blond spikes falling pathetically and he continued on.

He had been in the slums once before for a small mission—something to small he had forgotten about it almost right after. If memory served, it must have been in sector four... or three. Whatever. He wasn't familiar with this sector. Cloud glanced to his left at Zack's pained, pale face. Yea, he wasn't familiar, but, it didn't matter as long as he could get to a hospital for Zack. The rain must not have helped with the recovery because it seemed that Zack's temperature and colour had dimmed under the hour and a half long assault from the rain. It seemed a miracle that he was alive at all!

As he entered the proper area of the slums, right beside the train station according to a sign at his right, he felt exhaustion grip him. Cloud winced visibly at each step, but forced himself to continue. He could not—would not—stop. Zack had brought his comatose ass from half way across the world, he would be damned if he couldn't be the one to make it the last few steps!

Since the Midgar Slums were below the plate, rain didn't soak him and he was grateful for that reprieve. His and Zack's clothes seemed to be drying in the protection. Zack's temperature seemed to be raising, almost too quickly and Cloud was worried he would catch a fever or if he had gotten an infection already. The restore materia had stopped the blood loss and closed the wound some, but, some bacteria could have gotten in and potions only helped with internal damage and help replenish blood. Speaking of—

Once Cloud got well into the train station, he practically dropped Zack at the bottom of the stairs. He started when he realized he never put Zack's shirt back on! He sighed, rubbing his glove-free hand through his spikes. "Shit," he swore softly and removed his own jacket. His lips almost quirked into a smile at a memory that flickered across his mind. "It smells weird, and it has blood on it, but don't complain," he teased to his friend as he shoved Zack's arms through the holes. He lifted Zack up and made sure the jacket was on correctly.

For the third time that day, he pulled the restore materia out of the pocket in his pants and activated it, aiming for the more serious wounds on Zack. He yawned when the faint light covered Zack, seeping into the bullet wounds. "Right," he said through another yawn and searched for another high potion. He unscrewed it and dumped the contents in Zack's mouth again, repeating the same process as he did on the cliff top. Zack's cheeks darkened again and his temperature leveled out to somewhere between normal and fever.

When a hand fell on Cloud's shoulder, he half reached for the Buster Sword before he turned around, startling the train conductor with his almost feral glare.

"Jeez, kid!" The man gasped, stepped back and placing a hand on his chest. "Don't scare me like that," he said, laughing nervously. Cloud blinked, dropping his hand to his lap. "He okay?" He asked, gesturing towards Zack with his flashlight.

"No," Cloud began, turning away from the man and leaning down, zipping the zipper of Zack's jacket up. "No, he's really hurt. I need to get him to a doctor. One who'll keep quiet about things." He tried to stand but fell right back to the stairs in surprise. He could barely lift himself let alone another man! He groaned loudly. "Shit!"

The man paused. "Okay, hold on! I have a friend who'll take care of you and keep it private. No need to—oh! Speaking of! There she is!" The man turned his flash light on and waved frantically in the air. "Tifa!" He cried. "Tifa, over here! I have some people who need help!"

Tifa? Cloud blinked in surprise as the busty teenager—n_o, woman, Cloud. You and Zack were locked up for almost five years_—came into view. "Tifa?" He murmured. Good. She hated Shinra almost more than he did, so, she was safe to be around. "Tifa," he repeated.

The woman blinked in surprise and recognition. She knew that hair anywhere! "Cloud!" She gasped, dropping her grocery bag onto the pavement and dropped to her knees beside him. "Cloud?! What are you doing here!? Wha—" She trailed off as her eyes met Zack's limp body. "What happened?" She gasped, leaning over to Zack. Two healing bullet wounds shoved above the jacket's neck. "Cloud, what..." She stopped. Cloud's eyes were closed. "Cloud?" Panic swam in her. He was barely moving.

"Nn, doctor... Secret... Zack needs... help..." Cloud yawned. "Please, Tifa... help him..."

She nodded. "Okay. Martin," she turned to the conductor, "please hurry and get Barret and Biggs!" When he nodded and rushed off towards Seventh Heaven, she turned back to Cloud and brushed the spikes of blond hair from his face. "Cloud," she whispered, "what on earth happened to you two?"

- - - - -

Zack faded in and out of consciousness. He was barely aware of the pain in his chest and arms. He could barely breathe, but he did catch little pieces of conversations that were taking place above him.

"_...The... fucking SOLDIER..."_

"_...what the hell happened?"_

"_...internal injuries... massive blood loss..."_

"_...field treatment. Shocked... alive..."_

"_...let 'im **die**!"_

"_...doctor, don't care 'bout who patients... are..."_

"He's waking up!"

He winced and groaned loudly. Feeling came back and he forced an eye open. Blinding white light assaulted his senses and he cried out. He felt weightless and, if he wasn't for the horrible pain in his body, he would have been sure he had died. The light faded into blurry images that, too, eventually faded into faces. An older man, roughly 50ish with graying hair and a mustache stared down at him from behind glasses.

"Glad to see you're awake," the man said.

"Uh, wha?" Zack said oh-so-very-eloquently.

The man smirked. "Don't rush things. Do you know where you are?"

Zack winced as he looked around. A bed, a machine that seemed older than he was, a saline bag and two blood bags, one full and the other 3/4th's empty. He blinked and looked at both of his arms. One was hooked up to the saline and the other was hooked up to the blood. He groaned softly. "Assumin' hospital." He slowly sat up with some help from the doctor. "Which brings me to the question, how am I alive?"

"You know what," the doctor began, eyes sparkling in excitement, "I'm not really sure. It's obvious you are, or were, a SOLDIER, so, I'm assuming from the high tolerance of pain and all of the training and mako your body has been through." He sighed wistfully. "Wish I knew exactly why. Oh, right. Anyway. The young man with the weird hair brought you in and—"

"Weird hair?" Zack cut in, alarmed. "Blond? Cloud? Cloud's here? Is he okay—?"

The doctor threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, yes. Cloud, that's what the young lady said. Yes, he's here. He's in the shower. You two have been in here for a week! He slept for about three days—uninjured but exhausted," he added at Zack's alarmed expression. "He should be getting out soon, so... Might I ask you a couple questions?"

The black haired SOLDIER winced. "No, please... I just want to, I dunno... I need to sort it out myself," he sighed, running his hands through his oily hair. He paused and glanced down. Several squares of gauze was taped to his chest. He blinked and looked up at the doctor. "Er... so, how's my condition?"

With a sigh, the doctor sat down on a stool beside the bed. "Well, let's see... You were brought to me with about ten bullets in your chest and even more that went through you. I removed them all and treated your internal and external wounds. If it wasn't for, er, Cloud, you would have died. He used a lot of cure spells on you and a couple high potions. Poor guy collapsed at the train station."

"Wait, train station? Where _are_ we?"

"Oh, right. This is the Sector Seven Slum hospital and I am doctor Henry Walker. Pleased to meet you...?" He paused politely for Zack's name.

Zack blinked. "Oh, um. Zack Fair. Nice to meet ya, I guess... Bad circumstances." He smiled.

Dr. Walker blinked in surprise. It wasn't as though Zack's eyes grew brighter, but it seemed like his facial expressions caused them to seem that. He chuckled softly. Mako and SOLDIER's were odd. "You can say that again."

Both Dr. Walker and Zack jumped in surprise when a fist pounded on the door. "Yo! Open the fuck up!"

With a groan, Dr. Walker gave Zack an apologetic smile. "Warning: this man is always angry. Hold onto your bed." He walked over and unlocked the door, turning the handle and opened it. "Hello, Barret, how are _you_?" He asked sarcastically.

Barret, a large black man with a grafted gun on his arm, glared down at the man. "Big bad SOLDIER man awake yet?"

"Er, yes, of course. Who wouldn't be awake when you punch the door?" Dr. Walker smiled sweetly, almost sadistically from the sheer force of will it took to keep a scowl off his face. He stepped aside and allowed Barret to walk in.

He walked straight over to Zack and glared down at him. "So, what do ya hafta say for yourself?" He snarled and Zack had a flashback to his boot camp instructor.

"Uh... hi?" Zack blinked.

Barret blinked as well before covering his surprise up with a glare. "You, are you here to infiltrate AVALANCHE for Shinra?"

Zack groaned, doubling over and covering his head with his hands. "I don't even know what AVALANCHE is, I haven't been a SOLDIER in five years. I'd love to give you a grand explanation, but, I think I'm gonna hurl all over your boots."

Dr. Walker seemed to notice that he wasn't bluffing and snatched a basin from a shelf in the corner of the room and shoved it in Zack's hands right before the now ex-SOLDIER vomited. Thankfully, it landed neatly into the basin.

"Ugh," Zack groaned after he heaved every single drop of bile out of his system into the round metal bowl. "Oh, how depressing, there's nothing in me..."

The doctor smiled. "How about I get you something to eat, hm?" At Zack's nod, he turned and left the room, dragging Barret behind him when he heard Zack dry heaving. He liked that man and figured he deserved some privacy.

"Is he awake?" A voice to his right asked. Dr. Walker blinked and turned to see Cloud Strife in a pair of sweat pants and a white shirt drying his hair with a towel.

"Yes, but, he's currently trying to turn his stomach inside out," the doctor said, smirking at Cloud's expression of disgust. "As soon as we get some food into him, I'll let you talk to him. Okay?"

Cloud nodded and turned back around, disappearing into his own hospital room.

With a deep sigh, Dr. Walker marched down the stairs and, startling a couple patients out of the way with the intent of physical harm if they didn't move, began to prepare some food for his new patient.


	2. Prelude

First off, I would like to apologize for the wait. I have no excuse, so, I'll continue! I'm starting familiar territory in this chapter—maybe. Yay for responses that make you read to figure shit out. Right, anyway. (**Edit**: I edited this chapter, cleaned it up a bit, made it more smooth.)

**Disclaimer** applies. Please review!

_"**What are you gonna do once we get to Midgar?**__"  
_ Zack Fair, _Final Fantasy VII_.

- - - - -

It took about another week for Zack's wounds to heal completely—the doctor did, after all, re-open all of the wounds Cloud healed to remove the bullets—and about another week and a half for physical rehabilitation. Again, it seemed as though Zack's physical condition left Doctor Walker stumped. First of all, Zack should have never lived with that many bullets close to his heart. Second, a week to heal is unheard of! He should have been bed ridden for at least a couple months. And finally, only a week and a half of physical rehabilitation? Doctor Walker got annoyed enough to shove them out of his hospital at that. He couldn't comprehend what exactly kept Zack Fair ticking.

Tifa had been polite enough to invite Cloud and Zack to stay in her bar, Seventh Heaven. Of course Zack refused. _"_Look, we _really_ appreciate it, but, we're probably still on Shinra's most wanted if they ever find out we're alive," he said, fingers absently pressing against the scars for a reminder. He could stand being shot, but doubted she could.

"So?" She countered, taking a step towards him and pressing her index finger hard against his chest. "Avalanche is up there, too. It's not going to make a difference. Just stay—what harm could it do?" Tifa locked her eyes with his and Zack knew he lost this battle.

He held his hands up to pacify her. "Okay, okay. You win," he said with a smile.

So, sitting at the worn wooden bar counter two days later, Zack propped his elbows up and sighed. _Let's see..._ according to that letter he got, almost five years had passed. He clicked his teeth together. "Eighteen plus five equals twenty three," he said to himself with a smirk. "And that makes me legal. Hey, miss?" He called to Tifa. "Can I get a beer?"

Tifa frowned. "You have money?"

Zack blanched. "How about I do the dishes?" He gave her a sweet, almost innocent smile._ Please buy it, _he whined in his mind. _Please, please, pleasepleaseplease_...

Glancing at the wet glass and damp towel in her hands, Tifa shifted her weight. She sighed and nodded, setting the objects down. "Okay," she said, drying her hands on the towel, "I'll give you one beer for seven dishes. Deal?" She propped her hand up on her wrist, leaning across the counter and stared directly into his eyes.

"Yes, ma'am!" Zack grinned.

Tifa nodded slightly and walked over to the refrigerator. She opened it and searched through it for a beer, humming softly to herself. Pulling the beer out, she opened the bottle with the bottle opener. "Here you go," she said, handing the cold bottle to him.

Zack smiled his thanks and took a long sip from it. He set it down with a pleased huff of satisfaction when he removed it from his mouth. "Alright, then. So, tell me, Tifa, how have you been?" He asked lightly, trying to hide the sudden feeling of anxiety and guilt that swelled up within him.

"Well..." Tifa seemed to understand what he was going for because she lowered her head, long dark bangs obscuring her vision. "As expected, I suppose."

He hung his head. "I'm so sorry," he murmured quietly.

She shook her head sharply. "I don't want apologies, Zack. I want answers."

"I can't give them to you... not yet. Not because I don't want to," he added hastily when she looked up, locking her eyes with his in a fierce glare. "Not that... but because I don't have them." Zack lowered his head to the counter. "I'm so confused. I'm sorry... When I do figure things out, though, I'll tell you. I promise."

Tifa looked skeptical, but nodded unhappily. "Alright," she said at last. "The minute you do!"

He nodded to her and turned back to the bottle of beer. A drop of perspiration rolled down the side of the glass and onto the wooden counter top. Taking it in hand, he held it to his mouth, tilting his head and the bottle back, downing it in three deep breaths.

"I need to check on Marlene," Tifa said and stood, pushing the stool she occupied under the counter top and headed up the stairs. Zack watched her leave until she disappeared up the stairs and sighed. He drank the rest of the alcohol and stood. He pushed his stool under and headed to the door.

"Zack?" A voice called. Zack turned and spotted Cloud's head poking out from behind the wall of the stairs. "Where are you headed?" He asked, dropping down the last few stairs and walked to Zack.

Shifting his weight, he shook his head. "I don't know, man. I mean, we've been in this place for a few weeks and you know we might still be hunted—Soldiers sometimes have to confirm we're dead, not just by instinct... I don't want Tifa to get in any more trouble." He paused, his lips forming a bitter smile. "God knows I've already helped ruin her life enough. Jeez, your's for that matter, too."

Cloud frowned deeply. "No, Zack. That's not true," he said, understanding right away where Zack was coming from with that. "Don't blame yourself, I don't. And I'm sure Tifa doesn't."

Zack's smile turned even more bitter if that was possible. "She said she hated me back then."

"She was probably talking out of grief. You know," Cloud moved his hands around vaguely, "the whole stages of grief thing." He took Zack by the elbow and pulled him back to the bar. He was silent for a moment, deciding how to word things before he said, "you know Avalanche, right? The eco-terrorist group that's been messing around with Shinra for the past, eh, few years?" Zack looked confused, but nodded anyway. Cloud continued, "You were probably a little out of it when Tifa mentioned it, but this is the current headquarters of it. Tifa, Barret—he's the man who was yelling at you a couple weeks ago, he's Marlene's dad, apparently—and some other people who live around here are the current members. They could really use our help—as mercenaries," he added, smirking.

Zack was surprised into a grin. "My God, Cloud, you remember me sayin' that?"

"Yea, I mean... I remember everything since you got me out of that tube," Cloud said, running his right hand through his spikes, "but, I couldn't _do_ anything. It was like a dream—I could see, but couldn't control."

"I heard that's what happens in serious cases of mako poisoning, though not many people have ever recovered." Zack crossed his arms, eyes locking with Clouds. "Frankly, Cloud, I'm surprised you ever woke up!" A look of distress crossed his features. "I—I, Cloud... How did you ever recover that quickly? You were still out of it when I fought those soldiers."

Now it was Cloud's turn to look distressed. "You woke me up... when you were dying," he said carefully, avoiding Zack's gaze. "It shocked me out of my coma." That surprised him—the two rarely even mentioned the incident three weeks ago on top of the cliff. It was then that Zack realized just how close he was to dying and how much Cloud cared.

He smiled, hooking his arm around Cloud's neck and pulled him close for a noogie against the top of his blond head. When Cloud yelled indignantly, Zack grinned and said, "Sorry, man, for giving you a scare like that. If it makes you feel any better, I'm _really_ freaking glad I shocked you out of your coma! I mean, I'd be dead if it wasn't for you." He smiled again. "Thanks."

"Ah, it was nothing," Cloud said, brushing it and Zack's arm off. "Don't even mention it, Zack. You're the one who dragged me around the damn planet like a sack of catatonic dead weight. If it wasn't for you, I would have died and you probably would have made it to Midgar long ago." He clenched his teeth, glaring pointedly at his shoes. "Why didn't you abandon me? You could have made it unscathed if it wasn't for me!" His gaze shot up, locking directly with Zack's.

Zack's face softened into a faint, sad smile. "We're friends... right?" He asked, repeating the words he spoke while in the back of that pick-up truck three weeks ago. He hoped he conveyed his point through those words.

It seemed he did judging by how Cloud's faded into something akin to guilt. "Yea," he said after a moment of reflection, an almost sad, guilty smile on his lips. "Yea, Zack, we are."

"Good! Now that we got that out of the way... Shall we see this Avalanche about some work?" Zack inquired, winking to Cloud.

- - - - -

"And you understand everything, right?" Tifa asked carefully, giving both Cloud and Zack skeptical looks.

Zack looked insulted. "Yes, yes, we understand _everything_, Tifa. You've told us this several times! Quit worrying so much!"

"Seriously, Tifa," Cloud told her, smiling faintly. "Breathe."

Tifa still looked doubtful, but nodded anyway. "Well, alright. I'm not going to be involved in this mission—Barret couldn't get a baby sitter for Marlene, so, I'll be watching her."

As if on cue, a pretty little girl with shoulder length brown hair ran out from behind the bar with a pitcher of water in her arms. She nearly stumbled over a pair of boots, spilling a fair amount of the water onto the wooden floor. "Ohh..." With Tifa's help, she set the large pitcher onto the table that Zack and Cloud sat at and cleaned up the water on the floor with a dirty rag. Almost immediately after that, she hide behind Tifa's long legs, hiding her face from view of the two men.

"Hey, now, Marlene," Tifa scolded gently, smiling and running her fingers through the little girl's brown hair. "Say hello to Zack and Cloud. They're going to be working with your papa," she said, smiling kindly. Marlene shook her head 'no' against Tifa's legs and she almost laughed. "Fine, fine. Suit yourself. Go get your papa and tell him that Zack and Cloud are ready, okay?"

Cloud heard a mumbled 'okay' before Marlene took off towards the pinball machine at the east wall. The girl pulled the launcher of the game and the floor beneath her feet lowered into a room! He blinked, surprised and exchanged glances with Zack. Well, you don't see that everyday. Even Shinra didn't have something as sneaky as that. Cloud found himself liking this group more and more. The floor lifted back upwards and fitted into place seamlessly.

After a few minutes, the floor opened up again and the large dark skinned man that Zack met briefly during his stay at Dr. Walker's place appeared with Marlene perched on his shoulder. A quick glance downwards revealed a machine-gun grafted onto his right arm. Cloud averted his gaze from it, the ghost of his mother's voice telling him that it was rude to stare.

Barret gave one look to Cloud and Zack, grunted, and turned to Tifa. "Ya sure we can trust 'em, Tif?" He demanded, shooting glares in the former Shinra Soldiers direction. "They ain't workin' for Shinra or anythin'?"

Tifa shook her head, her long hair swishing against the back of her legs. "You saw those bullets that Dr. Walker dug out of Zack—those were Shinra's custom calibers. Why would they shoot their own men that much just to infiltrate our group?" She questioned. "Besides, I know Cloud from my childhood."

Considering that briefly, Barret nodded. "You're right. Damn, you know how to kill off a good rant when ya see one," he said, huffing angrily.

Smiling, Tifa said, "Now, for the price."

"I won't pay you a gil over a thousand," Barret stated immediately.

Zack's mouth fell open. "Oh, hell no! You're blowing up a damn reactor! Can you even _comprehend _how dangerous that is? It's, like... Walking into a prison where half the inmates were put there by you." He punched the table lightly, upsetting the water in the pitcher that Marlene gave them. "Two thousand gil!" He said, grinning almost wickedly over at Barret.

"_What_?!" The man yelled. "Fuck that!"

"Then get yourselves someone else." With that, Zack turned back to Cloud, smirking. One... two...

Barret was glaring viciously at Zack. He wanted nothing more than to unload a couple of rounds into that pretty boy's little face. Unfortunately, he really needed the help, so, against his better judgment he grunted out, "Fifteen hundred. Final offer."

"Deal," Zack said instantly. In all honesty, he was expecting something lower, but, he needed as much money as he could get out of this group. He felt no shame in mooching off of them even more—he _really_ needed that money. He hoped he could make it to his girlfriend's—ex-girlfriend?—house sometime before the end of the week. Almost five years was a long time... He winced mentally—yea, she was gonna kill him.

"Well, good." Tifa nodded, placing her arms akimbo. "Now, Jessie gave me this," she said, pulling out a piece of paper from the pocket of her black skirt and handed it to Barret. "She said to meet her there and to be quick about it. The train is supposed to leave in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, shit! Shoulda told me sooner!" Barret swore profusely, then seemed to notice the little girl on his shoulder. He winced, apologized softly to his daughter and set her down on the ground. "Marlene," he said, smiling and leaning down, "papa's gonna be gone for a little while. You help Tifa take care of things, okay?"

Marlene nodded. "Yes, papa!" She jumped up, hugging her father tightly around the neck. "Careful," she said and planted a kiss to his cheek.

Barret smiled, hugged her close with his good arm, then stood. Marlene ran back behind Tifa's legs, peeking her head out from behind them. "Alright, let's go!" He barked to the younger men and walked out of the bar, slamming the door behind him.

Zack rolled his eyes. "Right, then." He turned to Cloud. "Ready?"

Just as Cloud began to nod, Tifa interrupted with, "Oh, no! I forgot to give Cloud the sword I was given!" She ran off upstairs, boots thumping loudly against the steps, leaving Marlene behind to blink innocently up at the black and blond haired men. Tifa ran back downstairs after a minute, a large sword cradled in her arms. "Ah, okay, here. The weapon shop man said that you owe him a hundred gil for this, okay?" She offered the sword to Cloud.

Cloud smiled and grasped the sword by the hilt, marveling at it's weight. "Thanks, Tifa," he said, strapping it on the harness of his jacket. Due to the damage his and Zack's uniforms took, both of their outfits had to be replaced. Cloud wore a pair of black pants a size or two too big for him with several pockets and suspenders added to keep them from falling down. A loose white shirt covered his chest complete with a black jacket—also too big for him. The harness for the sword was taken from the Soldier uniform and fitted onto the back of the jacket. Zack's was similar, sans the suspenders for the pants with dark gray fabric to replace the black in both pants and jacket. Luckily, their Soldier boots weren't damaged and didn't need to be replaced.

"Okay, okay, let's go!" Zack grumbled, nudging Cloud towards the door with his shoulder. He grabbed the Buster Sword from the "weapon closet," as he so lovingly dubbed the concealed room besides the pinball machine. "That Barret guy is gonna shoot me if we're late, I can tell," he told Cloud as he fitted the sword into the harness, scowling.

"Eh, just be careful, you two, okay?" Tifa watched their faces for any change in expression but found only confidence. She rolled her eyes. "Now, go before you miss your train!" She shooed them out of the bar with Marlene trailing behind her.

As Cloud and Zack rushed down the stairs and off into the depths of Sector Seven, a man with bright red hair and dark clothes headed towards her, smiling cheerfully. "Hiya, Tifa!" He called, waving to her.

Tifa blinked and smiled widely. "Hi, Johnny. How are you?" She asked, stepping back into the bar and held the door open for him.

"I'm fine. And you?" Johnny walked up the stairs to her, entering the bar.

"Great," she said, shutting the door when he walked by. She strolled over to and behind the bar, pulling out a couple bottles as she prepared to mix Johnny's favorite drink.

Johnny was looking at her oddly when she looked up from the mix. She blinked and he frowned. "Er, the blond guy who ran by... Was that Cloud Strife?" He asked, arching a brow. When she nodded he said, "He looks well. Haven't seen him since he left Nibelheim for Midgar. When'd he show up?"

Keeping the wince out of her expression when Johnny mentioned Nibelheim—Johnny was really lucky. His family had left Nibelheim two months before everything went straight to hell in a hand basket—she nodded her head. "Yea, that's the same guy. He showed up a while ago with the other guy," Johnny nodded, "and they've been living here for the past week." She gently slid Johnny's drink towards him, smiling slightly. "And now they work with Barret."

Nodding his head even as he tilted it back, small glass of bright blue liquid to his lips, Johnny downed the drink in one gulp. "Well, that's good. I was kinda worried about him. His mom was all worried for awhile there," he said, missing the flash of pain that shot across Tifa's face—more memories of Nibelheim and the nice Mrs. Strife who helped her father with things after Tifa's own mother died.

"Yea," Tifa said, keeping her voice calm and controlled despite wanting to cry right then and there, "I'm glad he's okay, too."

- - - - -

Cloud and Zack jogged up to the train conductor, yelling for him to keep the door open long enough for the two to slip in. Cloud stared at the conductor longer than Zack did, remembering him as the one who he met the day he dragged Zack into Midgar. He gave the man a slight nod and the man returned it with a brief smile before the two disappeared into the compartment.

Several people were there including Barret. A tall man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, green military pants and a pale brown/green shirt with a red bandanna tired around his forehead blinked in surprised, then nodded to them and gestured to move towards them with a motion of his head. Another man, large around the middle in blue pants and a skin coloured shirt complete with shoulder guards and with a similar red bandanna tied completely over his head. A lock of black hair stuck out from under it. "Who're they?" The large man asked, frowning slightly.

"Soldiers," the man who called them over said, giving the two a good look. "Barret and I carried these two to Dr. Walker's place after this one," he looked to Cloud, "passed out in the middle of the train station."

Cloud coloured slightly at that and averted his gaze. The train lurched forwards and a girl with auburn hair, blue shirt, military pants and the same shoulder guards as the large man, red bandanna tied around her head like the first man's, walked into the compartment, blinked once at the former Soldiers, and turned to Barret. "We'll be there shortly. They're bypassing sectors three to two because of construction at the station. Alright?"

Barret nodded once, crossed his arms and sat down on the bench while the others wandered off to keep an eye out for things.

Zack gave Cloud a look, shrugged, and sat down several paces away from Barret before Cloud followed.

Wonderful.

- - - - -

The lifestream was active.

Kneeling before a damaged pipe, the young woman with the pretty green eyes watched as particles of glowing green mako floated about her. With a smile gracing her lips, she listened as the planet spoke to her. She had always told her many things—some things didn't want to hear. Now, She was telling the woman to be careful, to stay safe and that Her heart would hurt if one of Her children was hurt. That confused the young woman. _What would hurt her?_ she wanted to ask Her, but decided against it.

Slowly, she hooked her arm through the handle of the woven basket by her side and stood, lifting it and herself up off of the dirty streets. She held her hands close to her chest, folded almost in a prayer position, held that for a moment before turning her head towards the busy street to her left. She began to walk, passing the theater for the play _Loveless_, and stopped at the curb as a truck drove by. She breathed deeply, the scent of the city dimmed by the scent of the white and pale yellow flowers at her arm.

Midgar. City of mako. Shinra's pride and joy.

Something was about to happen.

* * *

I know. That ended so... I don't know. In any case, Aerith's appearance brought some questions to mind. The hell am I gonna do with her!? I'm thinking of throwing canon out of the freaking window—really, it's not like I haven't done that already! But, I personally don't like original game!Aerith much, so, I'll put it to vote. Who wants to have her survive past disk two?

Expect updates soon. Familiar territory! Please?


	3. Assault

Oh, my god, I found it! I thought I lost this chapter! One of the reasons why this has taken so god awfully long to come out is because I have lost this chapter several times... and I've rewritten it at least four times. (The other reasons are very personal... needless to say, I have a legitimate excuse. Yay me.) In any case, here is that fawking chapter!

Note on the fates of Aerith and Zack – While I have decided what I'm going to do with Zack (it actually came to me in a dream), I still have yet to decide what I'll do with Aerith. (If I keep her alive, though, I've already worked out a way around Holy/the lifestream.) In any case, Aerith will _not _be paired with Cloud. Understand?

Disclaimer applies!

"**Be careful! This isn't just a reactor!**"  
Mysterious Voice (Of Doom), _Final Fantasy VII_.

- - - - -

Major Michael Pierson was only 29. He was a veteran of the Wutaian war and saw too many things to live life with a peaceful mentality, but he wasn't by any means a violent man. Survivor's guilt plagued him and he developed hemophobia a year after the war ended. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was honorably discharged from the army. He now worked as a guard at Mako Reactor One. Michael was a father of two six year old fraternal twins—a boy and a girl—and was a husband of seven years.

His parter, 20 year old Jack Loch, was a hot-shot who had an affinity for grandstanding, but took his job surprisingly seriously. A year previous, the young man caught and arrested three teenagers who had come to vandalize the reactor, oblivious to what would happen if they accidentally disrupted the refining process. His motto was "you break it, you buy it." Rather odd, but effective when he mentioned the amount of gil it took to build the reactor to the teenagers. While normally mild mannered, he had a tendency to complain that irked his parter constantly.

"I'm bored," Jack declared four hours into his relatively silent shift. He turned to Michael, his light brown bangs obscuring one eye. "Entertain me."

Mike snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right," he deadpanned. Jack smiled sheepishly. "Count sheep."

"Uh-uh. I want to stay awake, not fall asleep," he pointed out, shifting his weight and leaning against the stone wall behind him. They were at the train station where workers and guards got off, he and Mike standing on either side of a massive door. "Come on, come on! I've counted the stones and attempted to count the stars." He turned towards Mike, his expression a grimace. "I'm sick of counting!"

Shaking his head, Mike scratched the side of his head that wasn't covered by the standard uniform helmet. "Sing or something."

Jack coughed and complained loudly, "I suck at singing. You threatened to throw me onto the train tracks the last time, _remember_?" He emphasized the final word. He shot a glare to Mike when the older man laughed. "Hey, hey, it's better than the captain's!"

"Point taken," Mike said.

The two shared a comfortable, light-hearted silence for all of twenty seconds before Jack complained again about being bored. However, before the former major could retort, the shrill whistle of a train sounded. The two looked up in surprise, exchanging confused looks before Mike glanced down at his wrist watch. "Half an hour early," he muttered to himself.

"Hallelujah," Jack said, grinning. "Just when bordem was about to eat my soul. Thank you, Minerva!"

Mike chuckled, pushing himself from the wall and took a step forwards. "Not sure if it's Minerva's fault for this or scheduling errors, but, I'm glad. I get to spend time with my wife and kids."

Jack arched a brow. "Dude, it's two in the morning. Six year olds are asleep at this time."

"Oh... Right." Mike laughed again. He could spot the train now and waved his arm once to the train's engineer, though he knew the man would probably not see him.

After a few moments, the train pulled in and the breaks screeched to a halt. However, instead of two guards as the two expected, a man with a red headband jumped from the train's top. Mike took a confused step backwards. _What?_ That wasn't... He's not... _Who is he?_

The man took one look at Jack and frowned.

Jack began to walk towards him, a fierce reprimand on his lips. However, before he could even vocalize it, the man rushed forwards and grabbed Jack's hand. He twisted his body, taking Jack's along for the ride. He flipped all 153 lbs of Jack like he was nothing. The momentum of the flip sent the twenty year old crashing to the ground harder than the man intended. Jack's head hit the ground hard with a sickening crunch and the lights of his eyes went out.

Mike watched in numb horror as blood and other fluids leaked out from the torn skin and broken bones that used to be the back of Jack Loch's skull. The liquids soaked into the young man's brown hair and red uniform. The grim scene wasn't the only thing that forced Mike's body to stiffen. The red blood spreading out onto the pavement alone was enough. _Move!_ Mike's brain told him. He tried to obey, really he did, but it was too much. His hemophobia really was no where near being overcome!

A few moments later, a woman with the same bandanna jumped out from the opened compartment. She glanced at the man, Jack's body, then to Mike. She lifted her fists and suddenly hemophobia wasn't enough to restrain Mike's rage and his will to live.

Running towards her, Mike lifted his issued gun and took aim. However, before he could pull the trigger, the woman struck him hard in the chest with a well placed round-house kick. He fell backwards off of the platform and hit the train tracks. The woman _must_ have received some good lessons and had fully intended to end his life. His ribs were shattered and little pieces of bone punctured his lungs. He gagged and tried to draw in air, but to no avail. One minute later, Michael Pierson drowned on his own blood and died.

- - - - -

Jesse sighed as the man finally died. It was a horrible way to go, but, if he hadn't tried to be a hero, he probably wouldn't have died. She would have simply knocked him out, but... She sighed again and turned away towards Biggs. "Okay," she said.

"Alright, Barret," Biggs called to their leader. "Guards dispatched," he said just as Wedge jumped down.

Seconds later, Barret Wallace emerged from the same compartment as Jesse did. "Good," he said gruffly. Turning, he yelled up to Zack and Cloud, currently perched on the train's roof, "Get down here now!"

Topside, Cloud shared a glance with Zack. "I really hate that guy," the look said and Zack grinned. With a huff, Cloud jumped down from the roof and hit the ground hard, feeling his knees buckle from the impact. He moved out of the way before Zack performed a grandstanding flip and landed at the same spot as Cloud. "Show off," Cloud muttered and rolled his eyes.

"Got it, flaunt it," Zack said in a sing-song tone, grinning as Cloud once again rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, serious now."

"Yo, newbies, this way!" Barret hollered from the opposite end of the platform. He disappeared from behind the entrance to the street that led to the reactor.

Readjusting their respective weapons, the former Shinra soldiers followed after the Avalanche leader. Halfway down the platform, two guards that came to inspect the noises approached with weapons drawn. Zack and Cloud split up, effortlessly disabling the two guards before the guards could get a hit off of. Cloud pivoted to the side, slipping behind one of the guards and delivered a swift blow to the back of the skull. Zack punched the other hard in the gut, grimacing when he felt a rib snap and the man doubling over for half a second in pain before succumbing to the darkness of unconsciousness. The two had expected more of a fight and were somewhat confused and disappointed when both guards fell to single blows. They both looked at each other in surprise.

"I couldn't do that before," Cloud said, blinking in confusion. His strength was either a lot higher than before, or those guards were incredibly weak.

Zack shook his head. "We'll think on this later. Let's hurry up before that guy starts yelling at us again," he said, jogging off after Barret with Cloud in tow. They turned the corner, turned left again and ran down the street to where Jesse, Wedge and Biggs awaited, Jesse working to pick a lock on the door behind them.

Biggs gave them an impressed look. "Wow. You used to be in Soldier, all right!" He paused and his expression turned thoughtful. "Not everyday ya find a pair like you in a group like Avalanche."

"Yea, well," Zack gave a sardonic grin, "we got sick of it." Not exactly a lie.

The woman, Jesse, turned to Biggs. "Soldier? Aren't they the enemy?" She questioned. "What are they doing with us in Avalanche?"

"Hold it, Jesse," Biggs began, holding up a hand, "they _were_ in Soldier. They quit them and are now one of us." He paused again, turning to Zack and Cloud with a friendly smile. "Didn't catch your names..."

Zack grinned. "Zack Fair. Pleased to meet ya!" He waved.

"I'm Cloud Strife," Cloud introduced.

"Zack and Cloud, huh?" Biggs laughed. Odd names. "I'm Bi—"

"What the hell are ya all doin'!?" An angry voice yelled, startling the group. Jesse and Wedge half-went for their weapons before Barret appeared. "I thought I told you never to move in a group!" Jesse flushed guiltily at that. Barret sighed loudly. "Our target's the North Mako Reactor. We'll meet on the bridge in front of it."

Finally, the door that Jesse was trying to open opened. Biggs, Wedge and her ran through the opening, glad to be out of Barret's war path. Barret moved forwards and stopped in the middle of the doorway, turning to give Zack and Cloud suspicious looks and scowled. "Ex-Soldiers, huh? Don't care if Tifa vouched for you—I don't trust ya." He ran off after the others.

Cloud looked up from his standing point. From there he could clearly see the reactor looming over the warehouses, the massive metal structure painted with the Shinra logo. He inhaled deeply, held it, then released it. "Let's just go," he said to Zack.

Snorting, Zack crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm really pissed. I'm not workin' with that guy again, even if it's for Tifa."

"Yea," Cloud breathed, starting after the others with Zack jogging by his side. "How did Tifa end up with these people to begin with?" He wondered aloud.

"Probably in retaliation against Shinra," Zack supplied. When Cloud nodded, he added, "I mean, I understand and relate—I'd probably have done the same thing considering... but..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging and leaving Cloud thoughtful.

Five minutes of jogging, turning down roads and avoiding the guards later, the two spotted Biggs standing in the middle of the road, his hands at akimbo. "You two are slow," he said.

Zack grinned. "Sorry."

Shrugging, Biggs turned and ran along side them. "While I trust that you aren't spying on Avalanche for Shinra, Barret doesn't share my point of view. He's been screwed over by Shinra and is a bit paranoid in that aspect."

"Oh, really," Cloud murmured sarcastically. Zack smirked.

"Yea, well, let's just get this over with," Biggs said. They eventually met up with Wedge, but the group remained silent, wary of any other guards. A few minutes later, after turning corners, they caught sight of Jesse kneeling in front of a panel, wires spilling forth.

The brown haired woman looked up and gave Biggs a nod. "It's unlocked," she said, gesturing towards the door that led to the bridge before stuffing the wires haphazardly into the panel, shutting it and replacing the screws, tightening them with her gloved fingers. She stood, brushed dirt and cement dust from her pants, and rejoined the group.

They wasted no time in entering the door to the bridge. Wedge ran ahead, crossing the intersection to guard the west entrance to the bridge. "I'll secure our escape passage. You concentrate on the mission, guys," he called over his shoulder, then added under his breath, "Geez, we're really gonna blow this huge furnace up? This'll be somethin' to see!"

Zack and Cloud ran across the bridge and took a sharp right, running straight through the northern entrance, Jesse and Biggs already having passed them several seconds ago. They entered a small control room with a security panel to the left side of the room. Biggs had already set to work entering the code, Jesse in the right uppermost corner, keeping guard. Barret stood in the middle, his arms crossed over his chest and glaring at the former soldiers as they ascended the small staircase.

"Yo!" He greeted. "This your first time in a reactor?"

Zack shook his head. "No. After all, we did work with Shinra, ya know."

Barret nodded. "The planet's full of Mako energy. People here use it everyday," he told them.

A wave of annoyance rushed through Zack at those words. Oh, no. He could see where this conversation was heading. He inhaled deeply for a moment. He remembered hearing all of the Avalanche bull from both Tseng and Angeal. His memory may be a little fuzzy, but he could remember all of their "Shinra is going to destory the planet" bull. Well, in all honesty, he wasn't sure if it was true or not... he had been a second class Soldier when Avalanche first started, and he hadn't been assigned to any missions involving them. All he knew was it was irritating to hear the same things over and over.

Gritting his teeth slightly, he swallowed the exasperation that swelled inside of him. So, instead of snapping something rude, he just managed to shrug carelessly.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the right thing to do. Barret's face contorted in a snarl and he snapped angrily, "It's the life blood of this planet. But Shinra keeps suckin' the blood out with these weird machines!"

"We're not here for a lecture," Zack muttered, annoyance showing in his tone. "We're here for a job. Let's just do it."

Barret spat to the side in disgust and distrust. "That's it! You two come with me from now on," he said, turning about-face and waiting in front of the locked door. "Hurry the fuck up!"

Jesse grimaced when Cloud shot her a confused, irritated look. She smiled apologetically and said, "Biggs and I got the code for this door."_Sorry for making you wait with Barret_, went unsaid but not unheard.

"Code deciphered!" Biggs exclaimed five seconds later. There was a soft burst of air from the door as it opened. The group entered and Biggs ran to the side, keeping an eye out for any guards. "Think how many of our people risked their lives, just for this code..." he said softly, a small, thoughtful frown on his lips.

Jesse was considerably faster than Biggs. As soon as she opened the panel, her fingers danced across it, pressing numbers, letters and symbols faster than Cloud could memorize them. " Code deciphered," she said half a minute later. There was a familiar sound of the door opening.

"This way!" Barret ran ahead.

Zack hesitated. "What about Biggs?" He asked Jesse.

She shook her head. "Biggs is our lookout. Don't worry about him," she told him, giving a reassuring smile. They walked to a personal elevator and entered it, Barret having already opened the door. She stood at the doorway of the elevator and pointed over towards a series of buttons. "Press that button," she told Cloud, pointing to the red "Down" symbol.

"This one?" Cloud questioned. At her nod, he pressed it.

There was a moments delay before the elevator dropped suddenly, slowing down quickly to a slow descent. "I hope no one tries to stop the elevator for a lift," Zack murmured to himself.

Barret leaned against the wall, sighing softly. "Little by little the reactors'll drain out all the life. Then that'll be that," he mused aloud, half-hoping to convert the ex-soldiers.

Zack scoffed. "That's not my problem."

"The planet's dyin', you brat!" Barret shouted, disregarding his own rule about silence.

Pushing himself off from the wall with a shrug, Zack walked to the doorway just in time for it to open. "The only thing I care about is finishin' this job before security and the Roboguards come," he told him as he left the elevator, Cloud following behind.

Jesse ran ahead, turning right to run down a long staircase that hugged the side of the building. Cloud looked around – this reactor was older than the one from his hometown. It was large, obviously, and considerably more rusted than the one in Nibelhiem – at least outside. He and Zack followed Jesse, cutting corners when they came to the second level by running past the pillar.

After two more long stair cases, Zack nearly stumbled when they reached the landing. He huffed, catching his breath for a second. Cloud moved ahead, opening the door to the inner reactor and entering. He stopped suddenly, almost stumbling forwards.

Zack damn nearly groaned aloud when he saw what made Cloud stop. A huge gap in the walkway. He sighed. "Great," he muttered before pushing Cloud aside gently – mindful of the gap. He bent his knees and leapt forwards, clearing the gap completely. "Alright, Cloud. It's safe," he said after he kicked at the ground for a moment, making sure that the broken cement would not give way under the weight.

Cloud nodded and cleared it as effortlessly as Zack did.

Jesse was waiting in front of them besides a diagonal ladder that was supported by a pillar. She gave them a quick smile before jumping downwards, her feet catching on the rungs of the ladder, her hands automatically catching another one. She made her way down.

"Yo, wait for me!" A voice called. Zack grimaced – he almost forgot Barret. The large man jumped across the gap with a little more effort than the ex-soldiers, but nevertheless made it. He glared down at Zack. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Zack flashed him a smile – one he used on Angeal whenever he was about to be reprimanded – it worked often. He descended the ladder the same way Jesse did with Barret and Cloud following. "No prob!" He called over his shoulder cheerfully.

Waiting across a meshed ramp, Jesse waved. "The core's down there. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" She said, patting the gun that hung at her hip.

Nodding, the group walked carefully down a series of ramps, one large ladder, and a series of pipes. Barret scoffed, feeling somewhat hysterical as he tried to keep his balance on the pipes. "Pipes! Pipes! It's a wonder those Shinra bastards haven't killed themselves!" They maneuvered carefully, actually having to sit down to slip down one pipe. Continuing on, the climbed down one final ladder, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I hate this place," Zack said, pressing a hand over his anxious heart.

Cloud and Barret grunted in agreement.

Barret paused for a moment after he got his bearings. "Uh..." There was an open door to his left and a long ramp to his right. He wracked his brains for a memory of the directions.

Thankfully, Cloud cut in. "It's to the right," he said, guessing the correct question that was flickering across Barret's mind. "Reactors are built similarly, right Zack?"

"Uh-huh. Good memory, Cloud," Zack praised, already walking across the ramp. "This is the center of the reactor," he said. "The literal core." He entered a door and glanced over the side of the ramp, frowning at the mako pool. Biting his lip, he hesitated for a second before snapping his gaze back to the front. Bad memories.

Cloud, however, didn't seem to mind too much. In fact, he looked over Zack's shoulder and grinned slightly. "Hey, look!" He walked past Zack and knelt. In front of him, resting between two small holes in the ramp, was a level one materia. Cloud picked it up and held it up to the light. "It's, ah, level one... restore," he announced before standing and slipping the materia into the pockets of his pants.

The core itself wasn't remarkable, really. It looked like a large furnace with a large wheel-knob in the center. Barret pushed past both Cloud and Zack, approaching the core from the side. He held up a duffle bag that Zack hadn't noticed until just now. "When we blow this place, it ain't gonna be nothin' more than a hunka junk." He turned to the blond, handing him the duffle bag and said, "Cloud, you set the bomb."

Cloud blinked, hesitating before accepting the bag. "Shouldn't you do it?" He barely knew anything about bombs!

Barret rolled his eyes. "Jus' do it! I gotta watch to make sure you don't pull nothin'," he confessed, glaring at the blond suspiciously.

Biting back a sharp, sarcastic retort, Cloud nodded. "Fine, be my guest," he said.

Just as he began to pull back the zipper of the bag, a sharp, high pitched sound assaulted his senses. He gasped softly, digging his fingertips into his temple in an attempt to smother the pain. The edges of his vision darkened and he collapsed to his knees. A quick glance to Zack showed that the older man seemed to be having a similar problem, both hands pressed against his ears. His mouth formed the words, "shit, shit, ow," over and over. He thought he heard someone say something, but he wasn't sure.

And, as quickly as it came, the sound faded and the pain receded. Barret was looking at them in obvious suspicion. "What's wrong?" He demanded.

"Huh?"

Barret scowled. "What's wrong, you two? Cloud, hurry it up!" He added sharply.

Nodding absently and sending Zack a quick look, Cloud straightened upright, walked forwards with the bag and knelt on the ground, unzipping it all the way and removing the bomb from the bag. It was a simple enough bomb, the explosives held securely in place with a timer on top of them.

"Set it for fifteen minutes," Barret said, glancing over Zack for guards. "Gives us enough time to get out of here."

Cloud nodded and inputed the minutes into the timer.

However, just as he set the bomb down and pressed the release off of the timer, the alarm sounded.

* * *

Felt that this was good enough of a place as any to end the chapter. I had to play the game, watch a lot of videos, and look up a good script for this chapter (both for information and a LOT of inspiration. I kind of fell out of the FFVII fandom for a while, probably another reason why this took so long. But, I'm back!) I'm probably gonna have to go back and edit this chapter... everything's still a little smudged with the whole AU!Zack's alive bit. ...He had a huge impact on Cloud's behaviour and his reaction to situations (I think) so...

Seven and a half pages. And, just so you know, the first section _has a valid point_! It won't, however, show up until the sector seven incident. ...You'll just have to wait for it. 8D Please read, review, and enjoy!


End file.
